    f there’s any section of the Drag Specialties catalog getting a serious workout year-after-year it’s that one titled “Exhaust.” Pipes, excuse the phrase, are what dreams are made of. Everybody changes them and the aftermarket is overflowing with choices. But with all of the sizes, styles, features and options available finding that perfect set can get confusing fast. In this search it’s easy to overlook things. You might miss out on exactly what you’re looking for because you just didn’t realize that a particular supplier, maybe the one you reflexively turn to for one style of pipe, also has all the others. A little FatBook rundown by style–who makes what in the exhaust world–might help here. It sure can’t hurt. Here it comes… This is as good a place as any to start, and things have really changed in this arena. Back in the day of “loud pipes save lives” drag pipes were just that–straight-through boomers that had V-twins rapping with authority. Not always true these days. Today’s “drag pipes” are just as likely to come with a nice choice of baffles, sometimes permanently installed, sometimes offered with a choice of “quiet” or “performance,” while still keeping that classic look. Pure, simple and right to the point, drag-style pipes, baffled or open–are a favorite. Vance & Hines has a full lineup. The Big Radius, the Big Shots, the Q-Series Double Barrel, the Stepped Drag Pipe, the ShortShots, SideShots, StraightShots and LongShots all fit the classic drag-pipe description. They all deliver the look, they can be quiet or loud and they can all deliver the performance Vance & Hines is famous for. Some models even feature a proprietary Power Chamber™, a unique crossover system blending the flow of both pipes to significantly increase horsepower and torque. That’s a nice addition to a “drag” pipe. You’ll want to take a look at the Rinehart Racing pages, too. These are the pipes that catapulted “stepped header” design into the forefront, and while Gerald Rinehart certainly didn’t invent the concept he definitely brought his NASCAR sensibilities to the motorcycle world. Those Rineharts are clean looking, strong performing and they sound great. Manufactured by BUB Enterprises they’re rock-solid in all aspects of construction, too. Speaking of BUB, Denis Manning has a whole collection of this most basic style of Harley exhaust available under his own BUB Enterprises label. The Jug Huggers, ChamberMaids and Stubbies all offer a version of the classic drag pipe look, and like so many these days even come with provision for O2 sensors where needed. There’s a choice of tunable baffles here, too. The brand-new BUB 7 Exhausts deserve a look, too. They’ll be ready shortly after you read this, a new lineup of pipes carrying the name of the World’s Fastest Motorcycle. Of course you don’t want to forget Samson. When it comes to drag-style pipes Kenny Price definitely has it covered. The Big Guns 3 listings go on for pages. They now feature stepped-headers, too, sized from 1 3/4-in. to 2 1/4-in. to improve the flow. There’s seamless and permanent 2 1/2-in. one-piece heat shields, integrated non-removable baffles and O2 sensor ports. The Right-Side-Drive Softail models even work with the Baker and JIMS 5- and 6-speed RSD transmissions. There are some new pipes here, as well, the Legend Series with removable baffles and upgraded heat shields. Cycle Shack has some sweet drag-style pipes, too. The “M” Pipes all have that classic look but do it with integral 2 1/2-inch muffler bodies as part of the package. That’s the “M.” There are 1 3/4-inch and 2-inch pipe options and some models offer stepped-headers. There’s a whole selection of the originals, too, those straight-through drag pipes with applications for Softails, Dynas, FLTs, FXRs, Sportsters, even vintage Shovels and Pans. They all come in a couple choices of diameter and length. Then there’s SuperTrapp’s Mean Mothers. Another stepped-header drag pipe, there’s a host of interesting features here. There are pre-installed baffles, pre-installed heat shields and the mounting is really simple using a bracket system with lots less hardware. The look can be changed to taste, too, with plenty of optional slash-cut and turnout end caps. Hooker Headers has those drag-style pipes, too. The TroubleMakers, Rebels, Rebel Darksides and 2 1/2-inch Rebels all feature stepped-headers, metallic/ceramic coating inside–and outside on the blacked-out DarkSide models–and muffler cartridges. The WideTail 2 1/2-inch is specially configured to fit Big Dog RSD wide-tire bikes and factory Softails with the Baker 300 Wide Tire Kit. You might want to keep that one in mind. Don’t leave this category without checking in on Cobra. The Speedsters and Swept Speedsters both feature a PowerPort crossover to deliver the sort of performance you’d expect from a 2-into-1 system. And that Swept model is particularly tasty. It follows the line and upswept angle of a Softail’s swingarm. Cobra has the traditional side covered, too, with Dragsters, 2-inch Drag Pipes and 2 1/4-inch Hot Rods and there are plenty of optional tips available for everything. And finally, when someone’s thinking drag pipes make sure he sees Hard Krome, too. The American Classic Straights, Stripper’s Straights, Big Straights, S-Bends and Tapered Straights are all perfect examples of the style. These double-walled pipes come in all the sizes, too, right up to a really big 3-inch version. It’s gigantic.  Okay, as we said earlier the definitions here can get a little blurred. Some Staggered Duals can easily fall into the Drag Pipe category and vice versa. Suffice it to say that most, if not all, of the companies offering those classic drag-style pipes also have this other Harley favorite available–the traditional Staggered-Dual with mufflers setup. Sometimes, though, those mufflers are integral, even mounted inside full-length heat shields to totally disguise their presence. So is it a Drag Pipe or is it a Staggered Dual? Semantics aside, the FatBook has the hardware and lots of it. Those new Python systems, for one, are Staggered Duals designed to really wake up the increasingly popular big-inch bikes. A big jump forward from the old Python II exhausts, these matched 1 3/4-inch equal-length headers flow into 2 1/2-inch muffler bodies and can significantly boost performance. Those Python mufflers are available as separate Slip-ons, too, matching right up to OE header pipes. And speaking of Slip-ons, there are plenty of them in the FatBook, too. Everyone from Samson to S&S to Rinehart Racing to Cycle Shack to, well right on through to the Drag Specialties house brand offers a Slip-on alternative. In plenty of styles and sizes, too. This is an economical way to get the job done. Slip-ons can deliver good looks, enhance the sound and do it with a nice performance boost as part of the package.  While those Slip-ons can, and do, boost performance it’s doubtful they’ll ever match the gains coming from a true 2-into-1 system. Right here, as most tuners will tell you, is where horsepower and torque live. There are some pretty enticing options in the FatBook, too, 2-into-1 systems combining all their performance potential with the custom look and sound a Harley rider demands. It could be the best of both worlds. Vance & Hines, no surprise, has a nice selection of Harley-Davidson 2-into-1 systems. The Big Radius, Pro Pipe, Pro Pipe BP, Pro Pipe HS, Tapered Slash, Classic and the V-Rod Power Shots can all have riders taking a fresh look at the 2-into-1 alternative. These pipes all began with master-tuner Byron Hines design for the ultimate Harley exhaust, taking his race-collector technology into a whole new realm to boost V-twin performance by up to 20-percent. And look good doing it. Cobra, Cycle Shack and Rinehart Racing are in this game, too. Cobra’s Python 2-into-1, for example, features big 2 1/8-inch full-coverage head pipe shields, a one-piece collector shield and the nicely styled 3 1/2-inch muffler ends up with a custom scalloped, slash-cut tip. Rinehart’s 2-into-1 uses high-flow, miter-cut 1 7/8-inch headers with a machined inlet to enhance velocity and anti-reversion qualities, there’s a full-coverage 2 1/4-inch heat shield to prevent bluing, O2 sensor ports and a 4 1/2-inch megaphone-style muffler. Take a look at Caliber, too. This 2-into-1 has a four-step header starting at 1 3/4-inch and finishing up with a 3-inch muffler body. Heat shields completely cover the header pipe while the muffler has its own radius-end heat shield. There’s also the Ray Price Limited Edition Collector Series to consider. Inspired by the Samson/Ray Price Nitro Harley Race Team, the performance boost to a properly tuned bike can be as much as 35-percent. It all comes with a no-nonsense black-out look. Of course SuperTrapp and Kerker are here, both brands longtime believers in the 2-into-1 technology. The SuperTrapp 2-into-1 SuperMeg Systems feature that familiar SuperTrapp disc-tuning adjustability right at the end of straight-through cores designed for free-flow and crisp response. SuperTrapp’s V-5 brings this tunable-disc technology to a giant 5-inch pipe for the V-Rod, the company largest yet. As big as this system is it trims more than 20-pounds off the bike, a performance boost right there. There are some good looking H-D 2-into-1 systems on the Kerker side, too, notably the Slash Cut model and the systems designed for Softails with wide tires and engine offsets. Porker Performance and Roadhouse have 2-into-1 systems in the FatBook, too. All good looking performers and definitely worth a customer’s consideration. Lots of nice features here, too, like Porker’s “blue-proof” and slash cut megaphone. And check out the Roadhouse with its retro-styled head pipe and 4-inch muffler. Have someone talking Buells? Force Motor Products has it covered with the StreetFighter 2-into-1 pipes, both race- and big-bore modified. These black or silver Jet-Hot coated pipes are all business. There’s a Stainless Steel system, too. Jardine has a nice selection of Buell applications too. And here are a couple names you wouldn’t normally turn to for a 2-into-1 exhaust: Joker Machine and Paughco. Both companies have them, and they’re in the FatBook. Joker’s system is a neat blend of 2-into-1 performance with modern, custom styling and the Paughco system brings the 2-into-1 option to lots of older 4-speed machines. This system even fits on kickstart bikes.  Dressers might be the hottest segment of the whole exhaust market right now. The FatBook is loaded with choices. Vance & Hines, once again, is well represented with its Big Shot Duals, Softail Duals, Dresser Duals and the Fishtail, Touring or Oval Slip-ons to complete the systems. Every look from custom-modern to vintage-nostalgia is offered and more than just looking good these pipes and mufflers are performers. Those Touring Slip-ons, for one, come with a high-volume 4-inch diameter for a substantial boost in power, fuel economy and throttle response. Python, Rinehart Racing and BUB all have their dresser duals, too, and/or the Slip-ons to go with them. Python’s mufflers have concave slash-cut ends, Rinehart’s True Dual brings its stepped-header design to the dresser market and BUB’s Cross Dresser II header features big 2 1/4-inch full length heat shields and accepts most aftermarket or even OE mufflers. Samson has the dresser and dual-pipes, too, with CrossOver Header Pipes and True Dual Systems for both Softails and dressers. There are plenty of style choices, too, everything from plain and simple to long, low and wild. Like the Cholo Longtails. Samson also offers a nice selection of Slip-ons, including the Rolled Thunder, Silver Bullet and Road Stealth mufflers. Cycle Shack might have what a dresser rider wants, too. There are pipes and mufflers here for the FLs and they’re available with a couple diameter choices. The mufflers are offered in four different styles and with all-steel baffles or baffles using a woven stainless steel sound blanket to prevent hot spots and discoloration. That one’s particularly nice on newer, hotter running fuel-injected bikes. SuperTrapp, Hooker and Porker Performance can all set up a dresser, too. SuperTrapp’s Crossover System has those classic Fishtail end caps and inside there are 3-inch tunable discs. Hooker’s True 2-into-2 is adjustable, too; Tuned Flow® mufflers can get the most out of each application. And speaking of Hooker applications, throughout its entire lineup–drag pipes to dresser–Hooker offers two different size pipes for each bike, one for engines up to 95-inches and another for engines 96-inches and bigger. The Hard Krome Vortaxx™ True Dual can make for a happy customer. Using Res-Tec™ (Reduced Exhaust Sound TEChnology) these muffler cartridges significantly reduce both hi- and low-frequency sound waves and there’s double-wall construction for the pipes. The systems are available in 3-inch and 4-inch sizes. Hard Krome’s T-Rex True Duals is another option. These pipes are designed especially for the big motors. The size sequence for this progressively stepped header starts at 1 3/4-inches.  Have customers wishing for one-off but shopping with an off-the-shelf budget? Everyone does, and the FatBook can help out here, too. There are plenty of designer exhausts to pick through, custom pipes coming from some of the best-known custom builders in the business. That whole Paul Yaffe by SuperTrapp lineup, for example. The Phantoms, X-Pipes and Crack Pipes are as custom as it gets with style choices running from classic shotgun to 2-into-1 drag pipes. There are finish options, too, either bright chrome or black ceramic and in certain applications those finishes can be mixed-and-matched. And the Martin Bros. are in the FatBook. No fewer than seven different wild-looking exhausts from the fertile mind and talented hand of Joe Martin are here. The pipes are all available in Right-Side-Drive and Left-Side-Drive applications, too, and some, right in tune with the times, are baffled. Matt Hotch, Arlen Ness, Joker Machine, Los Angeles Choppers and Eddie Trotta all have their custom pipes in the FatBook, too, each exactly what you’d expect from these legendary builders. Every one of these guys has served up a couple style options, and the pricing for all of this–from Paul Yaffe right on through to Eddie Trotta–can be a fraction of what you’d expect to pay if you were to go directly to a custom shop and have a similar set of pipes built. And don’t forget about Klock Werks, with those cool Crossover pipes for the baggers. We can’t close out without this. Even though the baggers are the hot items right now a classic chopper never goes out of style. Neither do the bell-tipped “trumpet” mufflers that look so right so often. Where do you find them? At Paughco, and they’re in the FatBook. A genuine ‘60s chopper-style look, it’s available in two lengths. Just had to pass that along. One more thing. Before too much longer you’ll have the entire Bassani lineup to sell. Everything from their Side-by-Side Shotguns to the 2-into-1 systems to the Dresser Duals with mufflers is coming to the FatBook. Keep all that in mind, too. And this. All these exhaust systems, every one in the FatBook, are made right here in the U.S.A.  |
